Involving family, spring garden style and the ease of a dream team.
There’s something so refreshing about a couple who focus on what truly matters – celebrating with the people they love most, while trusting the talented team around them to bring the day to life. Lauren and Dave’s timeless spring wedding at All Saints Estate was the perfect example of exactly that.
Framed by stunning florals and heartfelt personal vows, the day felt romantic, effortless and deeply centred on family. Lauren looked incredible in her Georgia Young Couture gown, while soft blue tones through the bridesmaid styling complemented the elegant aesthetic beautifully.
Captured by Tess Follett, every moment of the day felt warm, intimate and joy-filled. And when the formalities wrapped up, the celebration truly began. Thanks to Baker Boys Band, the dance floor stayed full all night long – the kind of wedding energy guests talk about long after the final song.
Their biggest piece of advice? Trust your vendors, they’re the experts for a reason. And when those last-minute wedding costs start creeping in, pause and ask yourself: will this genuinely add to your experience or your guests’? A reminder we think every couple needs to hear.
The meeting.
We first met briefly in a pub in Wagga. Our conversation sparked something straight away, but with busy work schedules and life pulling us in different directions, the timing just wasn’t right and things were left hanging.
A little while later, we reconnected at a local football and netball club game, and it felt like we picked up exactly where we had left off. From that moment on, everything seemed to fall into place (I guess some things happen for a reason). Everything unfolded naturally from there — proof that sometimes the right person just comes along at the right time.
The one.
Our shared love of local sport has always been a big part of our story, but it’s the little things that really made us realise we’d found our person. We have similar personalities, big career goals, strong family values and, more recently, a shared love of renovating our home together.
For us, once we started building a life together, it became hard to imagine doing any of it without each other. Dave spends a lot of time away with work and long hours, and every time he comes home it still feels just as exciting as the first time we saw each other again. That’s when we knew, life is just better when we’re together.
The proposal.
I (Lauren) had planned a couple of nights away over Easter in Rutherglen, staying at the beautiful newly built villas at Harry’s on Lake Moodemere – very much a spontaneous trip. On Good Friday we woke up with no real plans, and Dave was happy for me to choose the day’s activities. We spent the day visiting wineries and wandering through town (all of my favourite things) before heading back to the villa and lighting the fire just before sunset.
At one point we’d run out of wine, so Dave headed inside to grab another bottle. Instead, he came back out with a bottle of champagne and a ring – getting down on one knee! While I’d been hoping a proposal might be on the horizon, I wasn’t expecting it in that moment. We spent the rest of the weekend visiting our families to show off the ring (ring tour). It was the perfect long weekend where we got to soak up the newly engaged bubble before heading back to work. Dave couldn’t have (un)planned it better if he tried!
Planning process.
Our engagement happened during the school holidays, which worked out perfectly as I’m a teacher and suddenly had plenty of time to dive straight into planning. We initially considered getting married in Wagga Wagga, where we live, but while there were some lovely venues, none quite gave us that “wow” feeling when we visited.
After getting engaged in Rutherglen, we couldn’t stop thinking about All Saints Estate and quickly realised it would be the perfect place to celebrate. It felt special to return to the region where we got engaged, it was close enough for our families to travel easily, and luckily our dream October date was available.
I had a fairly clear vision of the overall style and focused on finding vendors who were highly recommended and experienced. There were a few small changes along the way – including a florist change (I’ve since learned florists can be a little tricky with admin!) and a last-minute switch with our entertainment, but everything came together beautifully in the end. Most of our vendors were Melbourne-based and incredibly talented, and it was absolutely worth the travel for such an amazing team.
Our overall vision for the day was a romantic spring wedding that felt effortless and timeless, with a big focus on family, good food, exceptional wine, with the perfect wedding atmosphere where everyone has the best time. Something that we believe we achieved.
Style inspiration.
From the beginning, I was drawn to a classic and timeless aesthetic. We kept the colour palette simple with white florals and soft green foliage, with a subtle touch of blue to tie in with the bridesmaids’ dresses. We wanted the day to feel like a relaxed spring garden celebration, so we included linen signage, parasols, rattan baskets and Tuscan style pots.
We didn’t want anything to feel overly styled or complicated – instead, we leaned into the natural beauty of All Saints Estate. The historic buildings, beautiful gardens and vineyard setting already create such an incredible atmosphere, so our approach was to keep everything elegant and understated and let the venue do most of the talking.
Most useful inspiration.
Real weddings were by far the most helpful for me. Seeing how other couples styled their day gave me a clearer vision of what I loved and what would work for our venue. I spent a lot of time saving inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram reels to build my vision board. I also really appreciated blogs that listed their vendors, as it introduced me to new suppliers and helped guide my research. I ended up finding inspiration for quite a few details through wedding articles, including ideas for signage, our florist, our band and even my dress.
The ceremony.
Our ceremony was held in the beautiful Rose Garden at All Saints Estate. Originally, we had planned to face a row of roses, but on the day our florist and photographer suggested changing the direction slightly – and they were absolutely right. The afternoon light filtering through the trees created the most incredible setting and it ended up being even more perfect than we could have imagined.
Our celebrant, Kate Adkins, did such a wonderful job of telling our story and capturing us as a couple in a way that felt very genuine and personal. Dave’s sister Erin also played a special role, doing a reading of The Art of Marriage which she thoughtfully personalised for us. Erin’s children were involved too – Josie was our flower girl and Freddie and Fletcher helped present our rings. To make it even more meaningful, our mums were our witnesses, which was such a special way to include them in the ceremony. Dave and I wrote our own vows to each other and if you compare, they’re extremely similar – strong family values, career driven and enjoy travelling, going on adventures and laughing with each other.
Another strong highlight was the moment Dad and I walked through the garden and down the aisle of faces that mean so much to me. It’s a real moment.
The outfit.
I found my dress in Melbourne after planning a special trip with my mum to visit as many bridal boutiques as we could fit into a couple of days. We started at Georgia Young Couture and tried on a few beautiful gowns, before continuing on to several other boutiques throughout the city. However, after visiting the other stores, I just couldn’t stop thinking about the Georgia Young designs.
When we returned, I tried on another gown that I had previously saved but hadn’t had the chance to try during the first appointment – and that ended up being the one. It felt modern, elegant and completely “me.” I had originally planned to change into an after-party dress later in the night, but I ended up wearing my wedding dress the entire evening. You only get to wear it once, and I wasn’t ready to take it off.
I paired by dress with a simple veil to match from Georgia Young, simple white slingback shoes from Jimmy Choo and pearl drop earrings from Peggy and Twig.
Favourite moment.
One of my favourite moments was seeing Dave for the first time before the ceremony. We had a few quiet moments together where we exchanged the cards we had written to each other, which felt really special before the day began. It was nice to pause and take it all in together.
Another moment that stands out was walking into cocktail hour together. It felt surreal looking around and seeing all of our favourite people in one place, celebrating with us. There’s something really special about that moment when it all comes together and you realise how loved and supported you are.
Meaning of marriage.
Marriage has always been something that was very important to both of us. It represents the commitment we’ve chosen to make to each other and the life we are building together. Standing in front of our family and friends and making those promises felt incredibly meaningful.
For us, marriage is about partnership, support and choosing each other through every stage of life. It was an emotional and vulnerable moment, because of the significance it holds within your lives, beginning the next chapter together through all of life’s joys and challenges – showing the world you’ve found your person.
Wedding soundtrack.
Sung by Drew O’Shea
Aisle: Bloom – The Paper Kites
Signing: Joy of My Life – Chris Stapelton
Recession: All Your’n – Tyler Childers
Reception entry: Signed, Sealed, Delivered – Stevie Wonder
First dance: This Kiss – Faith Hill
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Luckily, we didn’t have any major disasters, although I probably could have done with another week of planning! One thing I underestimated was deciding to DIY our signage – it turned into a very last-minute job and a few long days before the wedding. If budget allows, I would probably recommend leaving that one to the professionals.
One of our best last-minute decisions was booking The Baker Boys as our entertainment. It was a fairly late call in the planning process but ended up being one of the best choices we made – they absolutely brought the energy to the dance floor. All our guest still rave about the music and how much they loved dancing.
Planning our wedding also taught me that shorter engagements are completely possible. When I first started enquiring with vendors, it had only been about a month since our engagement and I thought I was being really proactive. A couple of vendors actually told me I was “late or unorganised” with my planning, which definitely caught me off guard. In hindsight, I’m glad I trusted my instincts and continued with vendors who were supportive and excited about our plans – our dream team came together perfectly, and the day turned out exactly how we had imagined.
Planning surprises.
One thing that surprised me was how much of the planning process involves trusting your vendors and the process. For example, I didn’t know exactly what our flowers would look like until the day, and we hadn’t seen our band perform live beforehand. You spend a lot of time researching, reading reviews and having conversations with vendors, and at some point, you simply have to trust that the talented people you’ve chosen know exactly what they’re doing.
Seeing the ceremony flowers set up for the first time was such a wow moment, but also not what I had in my head, it was even better. They are experts and know exactly how to tailor the style to suit the vision.
Looking back, that trust was completely worth it. Our vendors were incredible and brought everything together more beautifully than we could have imagined.
Words of wisdom.
One piece of advice we received early on was that you will almost always go over budget. I’m usually someone who sticks quite firmly to a budget, but it’s very easy to get carried away in the final couple of weeks when you’re adding those extra finishing touches. During that time, I found it helpful to pause and ask whether something would genuinely add to the experience for us or our guests. Focusing on the overall atmosphere of the day rather than every tiny detail helped keep things in perspective.
Another piece of advice we were given was that guests will often pull out at the last minute. We even had a short “backup list” of friends just in case, but in the end, we didn’t need it. I think when you invite people who are truly part of your life and who care about you, they will always want to show up and celebrate with you.
Final words.
Family was something we really wanted to centre our wedding around. It had been quite a few years since either of our families had celebrated a wedding, so we knew this day would feel extra special for everyone.
Dave was incredibly lucky to have all four of his grandparents there on the day. To make it even more meaningful, both of his grandfather’s spoke during the reception. His Grandpa Donald gave a beautiful welcome toast to open the evening, and his Poppy Gerald – who was 100 at the time – shared a speech alongside Dave’s mum on behalf of the family. It was such a special and memorable moment that we will treasure forever.
Our speeches were another highlight of the day and really reflected the strong connections between our family and friends.
Lauren’s dad, Ed Molloy, spoke on her behalf, sharing heartfelt memories from throughout her life.
Dave’s mum, Dorothy, who is also a teaching principal (like Lauren), delivered a wonderfully creative speech for Dave in the form of an acrostic poem. True to her profession, she spoke as if she were in the classroom, cleverly highlighting Dave’s best qualities in a way that was both heartfelt and very funny.
Lauren’s close friend Emily O’Leary also spoke. Emily had known Dave long before Lauren did – they actually lived together in Griffith – and later Lauren and Emily met through netball. As another fellow teacher, Emily took her role very seriously and created “wedding day report cards” by comparing Dave and Lauren’s Year 5 school reports. It had everyone laughing and was such a clever way of showing how well she knew us both.
Dave’s best man and brother-in-law, Mark Schirmer, gave a beautiful speech that was very family focused and perfectly captured Dave’s character and the importance of family in our lives.
Our MC for the evening was Dave’s long-time friend Cam Farrell from his Griffith days. Cam, Dave and Emily had all shared a house together, so it felt very fitting to have him guiding the evening. Cam was actually one of the first people Dave told when he decided to propose and even went to the trouble of scouting out a potential engagement location for him in Manly where he lives. While the proposal plans ended up changing when the ring timing didn’t quite line up, it was such a thoughtful effort and another example of the incredible support we felt from the people around us.
Looking around the room that night and hearing all of these stories reminded us just how lucky we are to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends.
Lauren and David’s Vendors.
Ceremony location: All Saints Estate, Wahgunyah (Rose Garden). The venue definitely speaks for itself. The whole planning process was supported through their events team. They always made us feel very looked after and comfortable during site meetings and communicated well, nothing was too hard. We were appointed an Event Coordinator, Jack, who kept us all on schedule on the day and had staff working perfectly – nothing went wrong and most importantly, everyone was feed extremely well and drinks were flowing.
Reception location: All Saints Estate, Wahgunyah (The Great Hall)
Celebrant/Officiant: Kate Adkins – Kate’s contacts came recommended to us by Tess. Booking a celebrant was one thing we found challenging. We knew how important the ceremony would be in setting the tone for the entire day. We wanted someone who could create a ceremony that felt personal and meaningful, while still keeping family and connection at the heart of it. From our very first conversations, Kate was an absolute dream to work with. She has such a warm and calming presence, and she made the whole process incredibly easy, from guiding us through the paperwork to helping shape the story of our relationship in a way that felt genuine and true to us. When we finally heard the ceremony she had written, we were so impressed with how beautifully she captured our personalities and our journey together. It felt heartfelt, relaxed and perfectly balanced with moments of emotion and laughter. So many of our guests commented afterwards on how lovely and personal the ceremony was, which is exactly what we had hoped for. We couldn’t have asked for a better person to marry us, and we would wholeheartedly recommend Kate to any couple looking for a celebrant who truly cares about making your ceremony special.
Photography: Tess Follett – I actually stumbled across Tess’s work while browsing real weddings on the Ivory Tribe website and instantly connected with her photography style. Her images felt so natural and full of emotion, and I loved how beautifully she captured the atmosphere of a wedding day. I initially thought she may have been recommended from our venue, All Saints Estate, but I’m so glad I reached out regardless. From our very first interactions, Tess was warm, organised and incredibly easy to communicate with. On the day she made Dave and I feel completely comfortable in front of the camera, which was no small task! She has such a calm presence and an amazing ability to capture genuine moments without making anything feel forced or overly staged. Tess also recommended our celebrant, Kate Adkins, which ended up being one of the best suggestions we received during the planning process. Having vendors who know and trust each other really helped the day flow so seamlessly. We absolutely love our photos. Tess captured the feeling of the day so perfectly – the big moments, the quiet in-between ones, and everything in between (Our sunset photos are definitely our favourites – she captured the lighting so perfectly!) Looking through the gallery truly feels like reliving the day all over again, and we couldn’t recommend her highly enough!
Content Creator: Amelia Wood – Millie attended the wedding as a guest and loves making videos for others. I am super lucky, she chose to help me create small clips to remember moments and the feeling of the day. Dave and I decided not to have a traditional videographer, as we didn’t feel like having additional cameras following us around all day – this did not feel very ‘us’. We opted for the relaxed feel we wanted for our wedding. It was also a financial decision at the time, although I did wonder if it might be something we would regret later, which it hasn’t been; we love our photos and small clips as much as our memories.
Styling: DIY – linen signage – welcome sign, seating chart, well wishes and cards, guest book and bar menu. We also chose to purchase lights for the tables. The rest was the venue features and floral arrangements.
Florist: Wren Floralista – Went over and beyond with the flowers. I ended up with more than I ordered and the flowers lasted the whole day. I got lots of complements from guest about the flowers, a lot of them loved the mix of fruit and vegetables they included in the table arrangements.
Hair: Zoe Karlis of The Creative Directory
Make-up: Zoe Karlis (The Creative Directory) – Hair and make-up by Zoe made the morning so much more relaxing following one person’s timeline. She was extremely quick, yet her attention to detail was impeccable – such a down-to-earth personality that made the morning so comfortable to spend with. She was super accommodating during my trial and I ended up changing my hair style on the day (was tossing between an updo and out). She understood my vision and enhanced my features perfectly.
My hair and make-up lasted perfectly from the morning preparations right through to the dance floor.
The dress: Georgia Young Couture (Butter Gown) – Georgia herself was so lovely to work with. She has an incredible understanding of women’s shapes and how different fabrics and cuts can enhance them, which made the whole experience feel very relaxed and comfortable. After visiting a few other boutiques, I couldn’t stop thinking about one of her gowns, so we returned for a second appointment during the same trip. Georgia was so accommodating in fitting me back in, and that’s when I tried on the gown that ended up being the one. The dress was called Butter, and it truly felt like that when wearing it – incredibly soft, light and easy to move in. It sat perfectly on my body
Dress Alterations – Inpira – By Sophia. Sophia was super accommodating and created the perfect hind bustle for my train – I wanted it tied under, so it looked like a floating or bubble hem and she was able to create this for me. Could not fault her craftmanship and would recommend her to anyone in the Melbourne area who needs alterations or a custom-made dress.
Veil / headwear: Georgia Young Couture – Georgia selected a veil that matched the colour of the dress.
Shoes: Jimmy Choo (Didi 45, Patent leather latte), RM Williams Craftsman Boots
Rings: Wedding Bands – Paul Bram
Earrings: Peggy and Twig (Arden errings)
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Rooh Collective – I had two bridesmaid and I let them choose dresses that suited their budget and shape. It worked perfectly – Sophie who wore a blue floral dress from the Rooh Collective (Extremely bump friendly) and Casey who wore a solid light blue satin dress – both complemented each other and blending perfectly.
Suits: Blowes Clothing (Wagga Wagga)
Bow ties: Blowes Clothing
Catering: All Saints Estate
Bar: All Saints Estate – Cocktail Hour – limoncello spritz, Dance hour – Hendricks Gin
Favours: No Favours – chose cocktails instead
Cake: Karina Dore (Tracey Smith Cakes) – Karina is Dave’s sister-in-law. Between her and her mum, Tracey, they create beautiful cakes for all occasions for Lockhart/Urana region. We had a two-tier cake – chocolate mud and raspberry white chocolate with butter cream – tied altogether with a large bow.
Stationery / Signage: Bride
Entertainment: Drew O’Shea (Ceremony) The Baker Boys (Cocktail hour & Reception) – Drew is a member of local Riverina Band called the Paddy Wagons – He works with and is a mate of Dave’s. Baker boys – Four piece band and lighting – we also has a feature song ‘I’ve had the time of my life’ sung by Mollie Waters (Dave’s sister-in-law and local Riverina artist). I found having our guests perform was such a special memory of the day that I know will be and is a highlight for other guests. Particular since we were very clear on having a family focused wedding.
Transport: Canns Bus Lines (Guests), Personal cars – Landcruiser (Bridal Party)
Décor: all purchased by Bride
Hire: Bang Event Co (Cocktail furniture and tables) – Bang Event Co, were super lovely to work with. All the furniture turned up on time and laid out perfectly. They had a great range and were super easy to work with.
Honeymoon: Mini Honeymoon – Sorrento, Main Honeymoon – Fiji
